Aug. 31, 2023

Arriving September 10: Episode 4

Arriving September 10: Episode 4

Episode 4 of Polarized Lens is coming Sunday, September 10, 2023.

"Commitment" begins the story of my hospitalization in 2004 at a private mental health facility. While not exactly recent, my stay may shed some light on what to expect when you seek inpatient treatment even today.

This is the first episode in a series of three, and it examines events precipitating admission, admission itself, and events immediately after admission to the hospital. It is personal but also illustrative of life with bipolar disorder and how it affects you even when (especially when) you are unaware that you have it.

Bipolar Disorder Hospitalization
Jennifer Merchán Profile Photo

Jennifer Merchán

Polarized Lens is written and hosted by Jennifer Merchan, who has blogged on and off about her life with bipolar disorder on various platforms since 2005. Diagnosed with major depression at 19 and bipolar II disorder at 30, Jennifer hopes that recounting her mental health journey will help others better navigate theirs.

Episode 6: Day Hospital

Episode 6: "Day Hospital" has been released into the wild. This episode wraps up the story started in "Commitment," a three part tale of self-committal in a mental health facility in a large metro area twenty years ago. Next time, in Episode 7, we&…

Episode 5: No Exit

The events described in "No Exit" represent a turning point in my life. It was the end of my old life, and the beginning of a new one. Diagnosed accurately after a decade, I could finally move forward with my life. Very slowly forward. The first ste…